G-8 leans on N. Korea

Wants nation to stop testing missiles and abandon nuclear program.

Wants nation to stop testing missiles and abandon nuclear program.

July 18, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- World leaders on Monday called on North Korea to stop its missile tests and to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Although the Group of Eight summit of industrial powers was dominated by worries about the escalating warfare between Israel and Lebanon, leaders managed to address sensitive situations posed by the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran. The leaders urged North Korea to reinstate a moratorium on missile launching and said the country's recent test firing of missiles "intensify our deep concern over the DPRK's nuclear weapons program," the leaders said in the document. North Korea is officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea test-fired seven missiles on July 4 -- including a long-range Taepodong-2 -- which was believed capable of reaching the United States. The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution over the weekend demanding that North Korea suspend its ballistic missile program. The resolution bans all U.N. member states from selling material or technology for missiles or weapons of mass destruction to North Korea, and from receiving missiles, banned weapons or technology from North Korea. In a document released Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leaders expressed support for the U.N. resolution. Besides Russia, the Group of Eight includes the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Canada. North Korea has rejected the council's unanimous vote Saturday adopting the resolution and warned that it was a prelude to a renewed Korean war. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters Monday that cooperation is possible with North Korea if it halts the missile tests and returns to the multination talks, which are aimed primarily at persuading North Korea to stop developing nuclear weapons. Koizumi said the G-8 and the U.N. Security Council had sent North Korea a "clear message" that it must stop its missile tests. "The North must respect this message," he said. World leaders also pledged to keep pressing for a resolution on Iran. World powers rebuked Iran last week by seeking possible punishment from the Security Council, saying Iran had not signaled an intent to negotiate seriously over its disputed nuclear program. Iran said Sunday that a pending package of incentives to halt its nuclear program was "an acceptable basis" for talks. "Iran has a serious choice to make and we invited it to make the right decision -- to react positively to the concrete proposals presented to it," the leaders said.